Oxshott Heath, Surrey

Covering approximately 200 acres of land this dog walking area is one that you and your dog are sure to enjoy. Owned by the local authority this area can be enjoyed by many.

If you are travelling by car there are plenty of small car parks which surround the heath and woods so you shouldn’t struggle to find a parking space. Also in each car park is a large map of the area so you will know where you are and where you can go.

A big attraction to this dog walking area is the sandpit which is surrounded by the woodland. When we arrived at the sandpit we could see why it was such a big hit for dogs!

There were dogs of different breeds running and playing the large dip of sandy land. Of course, Yianni and Yoko went straight in to join them to enjoy all of the running and rolling in the sand! It was like we were on a beach and woodland walk in one.

One of my thoughts was where did the sand come from? Was it from man or Earth? I found out that the sand pit was man made in the latter part of the 19th century from the commercial demand for building and was later used again in WWII as a source of sand for sandbags.

Surrounding the sandpit were trees with roots which had grown out into the bank creating wonderful arches before going back into the ground. Some were so high from the ground Yianni and Yoko treated them as a game and enjoyed running freely through them as if they had been created for dogs to play.

Eventually, when we could get Yianni and Yoko out of the sandpit we began our walk through the luscious woodland.

This is a dog walk where there are so many different paths laid out for you to walk. The only downside to this walk is that there are roads on the outside of the Heath, but we could hear the cars way before we could see the roads.

When you make your way South through the woodland you can see views to Box Hill (near Dorking) on a clear day. It was a great spot to sit and enjoy the sun while the dogs sniffed and explored the woodland edge.

Some say that when you see one woodland area you have seen them all, but I couldn’t disagree more! For example, during this walk, we could see so many variations of trees and plants that had been there for years and some that we just starting to grow.

Some of the older trees that stood had grown in different ways with their branches creating different shapes and angles. A woodland dog walk is a great way to enjoy tree nature and appreciate the clean air they help us breathe.

Have you and your dog been to explore the wonderful Oxshott Heath or have another dog-friendly woodland adventure you can recommend? We would love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave us a comment below.